Chelsea at Aston Villa player ratings: Victory at Villa Park

Reece James (Right wingback): 6/10

Perhaps a little unlucky with the own goal, Reece James nonetheless had a rather mediocre game by his own lofty standards. Poor passes and overhit crosses littered his first half performance and while the Englishman bounced back in the second half to put in a solid shift at right centreback, it was still a rather uncharacteristic performance overall from James.

N’Golo Kante (Central midfielder): 8/10

Subbed off after the hour mark as Tuchel continues to manage the fitness of his star midfielder, N’Golo Kante was arguably Chelsea’s Man of the Match in the time that he was on the pitch. Relentless in his efforts to hunt the ball down, the Frenchman was also important in progressing the ball up the pitch for Chelsea. In particular, Kante enjoyed good chemistry with Mason Mount, playing a sweet one-two with the Englishman down Villa’s left flank that allowed his teammate the space to swing in a cross that only just evaded Lukaku in the middle. Vital to Chelsea’s silverware aspirations, it is no surprise that Kante continues to be carefully managed by his manager. Fingers crossed his suspected injury is nothing too serious.

Jorginho (Central midfielder): 8.5/10

Chelsea’s top scorer in the season thus far with nine penalties scored, Jorginho’s ability to maintain his composure from the spot is quite remarkable. This was especially so against Villa, with the Italian able to hold his nerve and score two penalties against Emiliano Martinez, a goalkeeper renowned for his spot-kick antics. Penalty heroics aside, Jorginho was once again instrumental in dictating the play through the match. While the 30-year-old was guilty of a sloppy pass that almost allowed Villa in to score, it was a strong performance from the Italian regardless.

Marcos Alonso (Left wingback): 6/10

Marcos Alonso has always been a rather polarising figure within the Blues’ fan base, a fact not helped by his erratic performances on the pitch. Against Villa, Alonso was brilliant whenever he was allowed to venture into the attacking third of the pitch and linked up really well with Callum Hudson-Odoi. When placed on the back foot, however, Alonso was, on a couple of occasions, guilty of making clumsy challenges as a result of his lack of pace. Alonso remains a defensive liability and should Ben Chilwell end up requiring surgery in January, perhaps it would be best if reinforcements can be brought in in his position.

Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 7/10

Brought on in place of Kante, Mateo Kovacic was once again impressive in the 30 minutes or so that he had on the pitch. As efficient as ever when carrying the ball up the pitch, Kovacic was involved in a couple of “almost” moments in which a better pass from him could have sent his teammates through on goal. Nonetheless, the Croat did incredibly well to set up the chance for Hudson-Odoi to score in the final moments of the match, a chance that the Englishman duly squandered. All in all, it was a good outing from Kovacic as he continues building up his match fitness to his pre-injury levels.